Slave film turns Wilberforce into a US hero

As the leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade across the British Empire, William Wilberforce became one of the most celebrated men in 19th-century England.

Now, two centuries after his death, a low-budget Hollywood film has again made the devout Christian and former MP for Hull a national hero - this time in America.

Amazing Grace, which tells the remarkable story of Wilberforce's campaign against the slave trade, is tipped to be a box office hit across the Atlantic after rave reviews and political endorsements. The Washington Post described the movie as "the model for bipartisanship", and quoted one Washington insider who even suggested Wilberforce could inspire a change of political emphasis at the White House. As if to support that notion, President George W Bush is expected to hold a private screening of the film at the White House this weekend.

Despite a cast packed with British stars, including Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney and Michael Gambon, the film has won the support of more than 70 public bodies in the US, including the Congress, the Library of Congress and the Humane Society.

The US did not abolish slavery until 1865, almost 60 years after Wilberforce's first reforms. Released on Friday to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Britain, the film, made for just £15 million, opened in 800 cinemas in the US.

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Named after the hymn Amazing Grace, written by John Newton, Wilberforce's childhood vicar, the movie has attracted the support of Christian leaders and churches in America. Last week, more than 5,500 churches took part in Amazing Grace Sunday to celebrate the film.

The film's website says Amazing Grace was sung by civil rights protesters in the 1960s and was also the most performed song in memorial services after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Alice Beaumont, a direct descendant of Wilberforce, said she was thrilled by the support the film had received. "I am delighted that Mr Bush is seeing the film," she said. "It's so important that Wilberforce's profile is raised, not only because of what he achieved but also because of all the important issues that a discussion of him raises."

Miss Beaumont's sister, Jessica, said her family had initially been concerned about how Hollywood would deal with the story. "My mother, Andrea Wilberforce, his great-great-great grand-daughter, was terribly worried," she said. "But he comes across fantastically well. I was moved and proud."

The film's reception in the United States is in stark contrast to the low-key treatment of Wilberforce's achievements in his homeland. It opens in England next month and is already controversial after Lee Jasper, the equalities adviser to Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, condemned the film-makers for belittling the contribution of black abolitionists.

Mr Jasper said recently: "The film prettifies the tragedy, the horror and the brutality of the slave trade. It seeks to give the impression that one man freed millions of slaves and negates the contribution of the enslaved Africans to their own freedom to a bit part."

The movie was also dragged into the political row surrounding the links between Philip Anschutz, the American who produced the film, and John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister. Mr Prescott faced claims of a conflict of interest when it emerged that he had visited Mr Anschutz's ranch in Colorado. At the time, Mr Anschutz's firm AEG was seeking a licence to run a super-casino at the Millennium Dome. The licence was won by Manchester.

Wilberforce, a Tory MP, became leader of the parliamentary campaign of the Committee for the Abolition of Slave Trade in 1787. Twenty years later, he and his -supporters secured their first big success with the passing of the Slave Trade Act, which abolished the activity in the British Empire.

However, Wilberforce, left frail by continuous campaigning, died a month before the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which ensured the emancipation of all slaves.